Derek Jeter Passes Kobe Bryant As Most Popular Athlete; LeBron Out Of Top Ten

It’s great to be Derek Jeter. You’re the captain and starting shortstop for one of the world’s most famous sports franchises, you’re engaged to Minka Kelly and will star in a documentary about your just-collected 3,000th career hit. Well, it just got better since the folks at Harris Interactive have just published the results of a poll that named him the most popular male athlete in the United States.

Jeter moves up to the top spot after being third last year – behind Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods, who were tied for first. This year, Kobe drops to a tie for third with Michael Jordan while Tiger falls to fifth. It speaks to Jordan’s legacy that he retired in 2003 but still remains among the country’s most popular athletes. Meanwhile for Tiger, it’s kind of surprising that despite all of his problems on and off the golf course that he’s still as popular as he is.

If only you could say the same for LeBron James. The King continues to abdicate his throne, dropping completely out of the top ten after holding the sixth spot last year. It’s just another indication of the backlash that came from The Decision and his choice to form another Big Three down in Miami. Of course, if we’ve learned nothing else, it’s that the American sporting public can be wishy-washy. If the Heat bounce back to win a championship, it’s not hard to imagine LeBron climbing back in into that top ten.